Hearing device for providing physiological information, and method of its operation

ABSTRACT

A hearing device configured to be worn at an ear of a user may include a sensor unit configured to provide sensor data, the sensor unit comprising a biometric sensor configured to provide biometric data included in the sensor data; and a processor configured to determine a physiological parameter from the sensor data, the physiological parameter indicative of a physiological property of the user. The processor is configured to determine whether the physiological parameter fulfills a condition, and provide, depending on whether the physiological parameter fulfills the condition, output data based on the sensor data, the output data including at least part of the biometric data and/or information derived from at least part of the biometric data different from the physiological parameter.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to EP Patent Application No.20163364.1, filed Mar. 16, 2020, the contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Hearing devices are typically used to improve the hearing capability orcommunication capability of a user, for instance by compensating ahearing loss of a hearing-impaired user, in which case the hearingdevice is commonly referred to as a hearing instrument such as a hearingaid, or hearing prosthesis. The hearing device may pick up thesurrounding sound with a microphone, process the microphone signalthereby taking into account the hearing preferences of the user of thehearing device, and provide the processed sound signal to an outputtransducer stimulating the user's hearing. The output transducer can bea miniature loudspeaker, commonly referred to as a receiver, forproducing a sound in the user's ear canal. As another example, theoutput transducer can be an electrode array of a cochlear implantproducing electric signals stimulating the auditory nerve. A hearingdevice may also be used to produce a sound in a user's ear canal basedon an audio signal which may be communicated by a wire or wirelessly tothe hearing device. Hearing devices are often employed in conjunctionwith communication devices, such as smartphones, for instance whenlistening to sound data processed by the communication device and/orduring a phone conversation operated by the communication device. Morerecently, communication devices have been integrated with hearingdevices such that the hearing devices at least partially comprise thefunctionality of those communication devices.

Some hearing devices have been equipped with a biometric sensor. Thebiometric sensor is usually employed to collect biological informationfrom the user allowing to monitor the user's health. Biometric dataprovided by the sensor may include, for instance, a photoplethysmography(PPG) signal, an electroencephalography (EEG) signal, anelectrocardiography (ECG) signal, an electrooculography (EOG) signal, atemperature measurement signal, a skin conductance signal, and/or thelike. Including the biometric sensor in a hearing device can offer theadvantage of placing the sensor at a rather central body position at theear such as, for instance, inside the ear canal. Such a sensor placementcan contribute to an increased accuracy and/or reliability of thebiometric data for a variety of reasons including a good bloodcirculation, a rather stable sensor position, decreased external lightexposure, a proximity to the user's brain, and can also be favourable inpreserving the user's mobility as compared to sensor placements at otherbody positions.

Including a biometric sensor in a hearing device, however, also posestechnical challenges which are mainly caused by inherent sizerestrictions and a limited energy supply. Obtaining meaningfulphysiological parameters from the biometric data often requires anexpensive processing and/or storage space of the biometric data whichmay reach practical limits set by the processing and memory capabilitiesoffered by current hearing devices. Yet some physiological parameterscan be extracted more easily than others. For instance, determining apulse rate from a PPG waveform can be less cumbersome than obtaining ablood pressure value. Determining a change of neural activity in an EEGrecording can require less processing and memory consumption thanextracting a certain type of neural oscillations from the biometricdata, for instance to identify a certain type of cognitive process. Inorder to accomplish the more complex task, the biometric data can betransmitted from the hearing device to a remote device with higherprocessing power and larger memory such as a smartphone or a personalcomputer. Continuous data exchange and/or transmission of big datavolumes, however, can raise other problems associated with an increasedenergy consumption required for the data transfer and a limited energysupply that can be provided by a hearing device due to size restrictionsfor the incorporation of a battery.

Furthermore, the meaningfulness of some physiological parameters dependson certain conditions met by other physiological parameters. Forinstance, a blood pressure value may only be useful as a medicalindicator when the pulse rate of the user corresponds to his restingheart rate (RHR). The individual RHR, in turn, is preferentiallydetermined in a physiological meaningful way when other physiologicalconditions of the user are met. Current methods of determining theindividual RHR therefore require the user to remain in a restingposition for a certain time in which his body activities includingphysical movements, emotional distress, and mental efforts are reducedto a minimum. Determining the RHR ad hoc in such a manner can be ratherimpractical in some life situations, whereas in other life situationsthe required physiological conditions may be met by the user without anyintention to learn about his RHR.

U.S. patent application publication No. US 2019/0082974 A1 discloses ahearing device equipped with a biometric sensor including an opticalemitter and an optical detector to provide PPG data from the user's ear.The hearing device further includes an inertial sensor configured tomeasure a physical motion of the ear which can be employed as a noisereference for an adaptive filter to remove motion artifacts from the PPGdata. Physiological parameters of interest can then be determined fromthe PPG data including a heart rate, a blood flow, a heart ratevariability, a respiration rate, a blood gas/analyte level, a maximumoxygen consumption (VO₂ max), and a blood pressure. Continuouslydetermining those parameters over time, however, can be ratherprocessing intensive depending on the complexity of a physiologicalassessment algorithm applied to obtain the respective parameter. Such analgorithm may also be executed by a device remote from the hearingdevice causing, however, high energy consumption required for the datatransmission.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments, examples of whichare illustrated in the accompanying drawings. The drawings illustratevarious embodiments and are a part of the specification. The illustratedembodiments are merely examples and do not limit the scope of thedisclosure. Throughout the drawings, identical or similar referencenumbers designate identical or similar elements. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 schematically illustrates an exemplary hearing device including aprocessor, a sensor unit including a biometric sensor, and an outputtransducer, and an exemplary remote device communicatively coupled tothe hearing device;

FIG. 2 schematically illustrates exemplary embodiments of biometricsensors that can be implemented in the hearing device illustrated inFIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 schematically illustrate exemplary configurations of ahearing device to determine from sensor data a physiological parameterand to provide output data depending on the physiological parameterfulfilling a condition; and

FIGS. 5-10 illustrate exemplary methods of operating a hearing deviceand/or a remote device according to principles described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The disclosure relates to a hearing device configured to be worn at anear of a user, the hearing device comprising a sensor unit configured toprovide sensor data, the sensor unit comprising a biometric sensorconfigured to provide biometric data included in the sensor data, and aprocessor configured to determine a physiological parameter from thesensor data, the physiological parameter indicative of a physiologicalproperty of the user. The disclosure also relates to a method ofoperating a hearing system, and a computer-readable medium storinginstructions for performing the method. The disclosure also relates to acommunication system comprising the hearing device and a remote device,a method of operating a communication system, and a computer-readablemedium storing instructions for performing the method.

It is a feature of the present disclosure to avoid at least one of theabove mentioned disadvantages and to provide a hearing device and/or amethod of operating the hearing device in which the biometric dataproduced by the biometric sensor can be evaluated in a more efficientway, in particular such that an amount of required data processingand/or memory usage and/or energy consumption of the hearing device canbe effectively reduced. It is another feature to allow determining of aphysiological parameter in a more reliable way, for instance in acontext of mutually related parameters in which a physiologicalparameter depends on a condition met by at least one other physiologicalparameter. It is a further feature to output biometric data and/orinformation derived from the biometric data characteristic for aphysiological condition of the user.

Accordingly, the present disclosure proposes a hearing device configuredto be worn at an ear of a user, the hearing device comprising a sensorunit configured to provide sensor data, and a processor configured todetermine a physiological parameter from the sensor data, thephysiological parameter indicative of a physiological property of theuser; to determine whether the physiological parameter fulfills acondition; and to provide, depending on whether the physiologicalparameter fulfills the condition, output data based on the sensor data,the output data including at least part of the biometric data and/orinformation derived from at least part of the biometric data differentfrom said physiological parameter.

The output data may thus be provided with biometric data and/orinformation derived from the biometric data which is relevant for asituation in which the physiological parameter determined from thesensor data fulfills the condition. The biometric data and/orinformation derived from the biometric data included in the output datamay thus be effectively reduced to data relevant for a specificphysiological condition. Additionally or alternatively, a number oftimes at which the output data is provided may be effectively reduced tothe times at which the physiological parameter fulfills the condition.The output data can thus be provided with increased efficiency allowinga more efficient data evaluation. The reliability of a physiologicalparameter included in the information in the output data different fromsaid physiological parameter fulfilling the condition or a physiologicalparameter derived from the output data can also be enhanced. Forinstance, when such a physiological parameter included in or derivedfrom the output data depends on at least one different physiologicalparameter which is determined to fulfill the condition, it can beensured that the output data accounts for the dependency between thephysiological parameter included in or derived from the output data andthe different physiological parameter by the determining that thedifferent physiological parameter fulfills the condition. In particular,the output data may be provided such that it is characteristic for aphysiological condition of the user, which may be indicated by thephysiological parameter fulfilling the condition.

Independently, the present disclosure proposes a method of operating ahearing device configured to be worn at an ear of a user. The methodcomprises providing sensor data including biometric data detected fromthe user; determining a physiological parameter from the sensor data,the physiological parameter indicative of a physiological property ofthe user; determining whether the physiological parameter fulfills acondition; and providing, depending on whether the physiologicalparameter fulfills the condition, output data based on the sensor data,the output data including at least part of the biometric data and/orinformation derived from at least part of the biometric data differentfrom said physiological parameter. Independently, the present disclosureproposes a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructionsthat, when executed by a processor, cause a hearing device to performoperations of the method.

The present disclosure also proposes a communication system comprisingthe hearing device and a remote device comprising a communication portconfigured to receive the output data transmitted from a communicationport of the hearing device. The present disclosure further proposes amethod of operating a communication system comprising a hearing deviceand a remote device, the method comprising transmitting the output datato the remote device; and determining, by the remote device, aphysiological parameter from the output data. Independently, the presentdisclosure proposes a non-transitory computer-readable medium storinginstructions that, when executed by a processor of the hearing deviceand/or remote device, cause a communication system to perform operationsof the method.

Subsequently, additional features of some implementations of the hearingdevice and/or the communication system and/or the method of operating ahearing device and/or a communication system are described. Each ofthose features can be provided solely or in combination with at leastanother feature. The features can be correspondingly provided in someimplementations of the hearing device and/or the communication systemand/or the method of operating the hearing device and/or the method ofoperating the communication system and/or the computer-readable medium.

In some implementations, the hearing device comprises a communicationport configured to transmit data to a remote device, wherein theprocessor is configured to provide the output data to the communicationport. The communication port of the hearing device may be configured forwireless data transmission to a communication port of the remote device.The remote device can comprise a processor configured to determine aphysiological parameter from the output data transmitted from thehearing device in a subsequent processing. The subsequent processing ofthe output data may be employed to determine the physiological parameterfrom the output data in a more complex and/or expensive processingalgorithm as compared to the processing required for determining thephysiological parameter for which the condition is determined to befulfilled by the hearing device. The physiological parameter determinedby the remote device may be a second physiological parameter differentfrom a first physiological parameter determined by the processor of thehearing device, based on which first physiological parameter thecondition is determined to be fulfilled by the processor of the hearingdevice. The remote device may be configured to determine the secondphysiological parameter with an enhanced processing performance and/oran increased memory investment as compared to a processing performanceand/or a memory that would be available in the hearing device. An energyconsumption or memory investment of the hearing device required fordetermining the second physiological parameter from the output data maythus be reduced. The remote device may be a device configured to beoperated remote from the user's ear. For instance, the remote device maybe a handheld device, such as a smartphone, or a stationary device, suchas a personal computer.

The output data may be transmitted to the remote device depending onwhether the condition of the physiological parameter determined by thehearing device is fulfilled. An energy consumption of the hearing devicerequired for the transmission of the output data can thus also bereduced. The processor of the remote device can then determine thedifferent physiological parameter from the output data depending onwhether the condition of the physiological parameter determined by thehearing device is fulfilled. For instance, the output data may only betransmitted to the remote device when it is relevant for the determiningof the different physiological parameter from the output data by theremote device, which can depend on the condition being fulfilled by thephysiological parameter determined by the hearing device.

In some instances, the processor of the hearing device is configured toprovide the output data including at least part of the biometric data.In some instances, the processor is configured to provide the outputdata including information derived from at least part of the biometricdata different from said physiological parameter. In some instances, theprocessor is configured to provide the output data including at leastpart of the biometric data and information derived from at least part ofthe biometric data different from said physiological parameter. Theoutput data may be provided, when the physiological parameter fulfillsthe condition. The output data may not be provided, when thephysiological parameter does not fulfill the condition.

In some implementations, the physiological parameter is a firstphysiological parameter indicative of a first physiological property ofthe user. The processor of the hearing device may be configured toprovide, depending on whether the first physiological parameter fulfillsthe condition, output data based on the sensor data, the output dataincluding at least part of the biometric data and/or information derivedfrom at least part of the biometric data different from said firstphysiological parameter, wherein the processor of the hearing deviceand/or a processor of a remote device is configured to subsequentlyprocess the output data in order to determine a second physiologicalparameter indicative of a second physiological property of the user, thesecond physiological parameter different from the first physiologicalparameter and the second physiological property different from the firstphysiological property.

In some implementations, biometric information in the biometric dataincluded in the output data is unmodified by the processor. The outputdata may thus comprise at least part of the biometric data including thebiometric information as provided by the biometric sensor unmodified bythe processor of the hearing device. The term “unmodified” may implythat the biometric data included in the output data contains the sameamount of information relevant for a biometric property measured by thebiometric sensor as the biometric data provided by the biometric sensor.In some instances, the output data comprises at least part of thebiometric data processed by the processor, for instance to reduce noiseand/or to remove artifacts such as movement artifacts, wherein thebiometric data in the output data contains the same amount ofinformation relevant for the biometric property as the biometric dataprovided by the biometric sensor.

In some instances, the output data includes at least part of thebiometric data unprocessed by the processor. The biometric data includedin the output data may thus be accessible in an original and/or raw formin which it has been provided by the biometric sensor, in particular ina form in which it has been included in an output signal of thebiometric sensor. A subsequent processing of the biometric data includedin the output data can then be based on the unprocessed biometric data.A more complex and/or expensive subsequent processing algorithm may thenbe performed in a superior way, in particular based on uncompromisedinformation included in the biometric data, which may provide a gain ininformation and/or a higher reliability of the physiological parameterdetermined from the output data. A number of times of performing themore complex and/or expensive processing algorithm can thus beadvantageously reduced to events for which the condition is determinedto be fulfilled by the hearing device. The subsequent processing may beperformed by the processor of the remote device and/or by the processorof the hearing device. Thus, the energy consumption required by thehearing device for performing the more complex and/or expensiveprocessing algorithm and/or for transmitting the output data such thatthe more complex and/or expensive processing algorithm can be performedby the remote device can be reduced.

In some implementations, the output data comprises information derivedfrom at least part of the biometric data. The derived information mayinclude the physiological parameter for which it is determined whetherthe condition is fulfilled. The derived information may include anotherphysiological parameter determined from the sensor data.

In some implementations, the processor is configured to repeatedlydetermine the physiological parameter over a period, wherein the outputdata is provided when the physiological parameter fulfills the conditionwithin the period. The condition may thus be determined to be fulfilledat a higher reliability. In some instances, the condition includes theadditional requirement to be fulfilled for a plurality number of timeswithin the period, in particular over the whole period. This may implydetermining whether the condition is fulfilled for a predeterminednumber of times, in particular each time, at which the physiologicalparameter has been determined within the period.

In some implementations, the determining whether the physiologicalparameter fulfills the condition comprises determining evaluating thephysiological parameter relative to a threshold. This may comprisedetermining whether the physiological parameter falls below or risesabove the threshold.

In some implementations, the physiological parameter is a firstphysiological parameter and the condition is a first condition, whereinthe processor is configured to determine a second physiologicalparameter from the sensor data and to determine whether the secondphysiological parameter fulfills a second condition. The firstphysiological parameter and the second physiological parameter may beindicative for the same physiological property of the user. Forinstance, the physiological property may be a relaxation level of theuser. The first physiological parameter and the second physiologicalparameter may also be indicative for a different physiological propertyof the user. For instance, a first physiological property indicated bythe first physiological parameter may include a relaxation level, and asecond physiological property indicated by the second physiologicalparameter may include a heart rate. As another example, the firstphysiological property may include a concentration level of the user andthe second physiological property may include a body temperature.

In some instances, the output data is provided when the physiologicalparameter fulfills at least one of the first condition and the secondcondition. In some instances, the output data is provided when thephysiological parameter fulfills both the first condition and the secondcondition. In some instances, the determining whether the firstphysiological parameter fulfills the first condition may compriseevaluating the first physiological parameter relative to a firstthreshold, and the determining whether the second physiologicalparameter fulfills the second condition may comprise evaluating thesecond physiological parameter relative to a second threshold. In someinstances, the processor of the hearing device and/or a processor of aremote device is configured to subsequently process the output data inorder to determine a third physiological parameter, the thirdphysiological parameter different from the first physiological parameterand the second physiological parameter.

In some implementations, the physiological parameter is indicative of aheart rate of the user, wherein the determining whether the condition isfulfilled comprises determining whether the heart rate corresponds to aresting heart rate of the user. The output data may then berepresentative for a physiological state of the user at his restingheart rate. A physiological parameter determined from the output datamay comprise another blood parameter depending on the resting heartrate, for instance a blood pressure at the resting heart rate. Anotherphysiological parameter determined from the output data may comprise abody temperature of the user and/or a sweat rate of the user and/or arespiratory rate of the user and/or a cognitive parameter, for instancea cognitive load and/or a physiological stress and/or a listeningintention of the user, at the resting heart rate.

In some implementations, the physiological parameter is indicative of arelaxation level of the user, wherein the determining whether thecondition is fulfilled comprises determining whether the physiologicalparameter rises above a threshold. The output data may then berepresentative for a physiological state of the user at a highrelaxation level. The physiological parameter may be a firstphysiological parameter. A physiological parameter determined from theoutput data, which may be denoted as a second physiological parameter,may comprise a blood parameter depending on the high relaxation level,for instance a resting heart rate and/or a blood pressure at the restingheart rate and/or a saturation pressure level of blood oxygen (SpO2level) at the resting hart rate. Another physiological parameterdetermined from the output data may comprise a body temperature of theuser and/or a sweat rate of the user and/or a respiratory rate of theuser and/or a cognitive parameter at the high relaxation level.

In some implementations, the physiological parameter is indicative of aheart rate and/or a resting heart rate and/or a heart rate variability(HRV) and/or a heart rate recovery time and/or a blood pressure and/orhypertension and/or a maximum oxygen consumption (VO₂ max) and/or ablood glucose level and/or a cardiovascular health level and/or anendurance level and/or an aerobic fitness level and/or a bodytemperature and/or a sweat rate and/or a respiratory rate and/or acognitive load and/or a listening intention and/or a listening effortand/or a cognitive decline and/or a breakdown of neural activity overtime and/or a sleeping or waking state and/or a distraction level and/ora concentration level and/or a relaxation level and/or a physicalexhaustion level and/or a physiological stress level. Determiningwhether the condition is fulfilled may comprise determining whether thephysiological parameter falls below or rises above a threshold.Determining whether the physiological parameter falls below or risesabove the threshold may include a statistical evaluation, for instancean averaged value and/or a certain percentile of the physiologicalparameter falling below or rising above the threshold.

In some implementations, the physiological parameter can be indicativeof a quality of physiological information represented by the biometricdata, for instance a quality defined by the condition determined to befulfilled. The condition may be representative for a physiological stateof the physiological property. The physiological state may comprise ahigh relaxation level of the user, a heart rate corresponding to theresting heart rate, a presence of hypertension, a sleeping state of theuser, a high cognitive load of the user, a high concentration level ofthe user, a large respiration rate, and/or the like.

In some implementations, the physiological parameter is at leastpartially determined from the biometric data. In some instances, thebiometric data comprises PPG data and/or ECG data and/or EEG data and/orEOG data and/or temperature data and/or skin conductance data. Thebiometric sensor may comprise a PPG sensor and/or an ECG sensor and/oran EEG sensor and/or an EOG sensor and/or a temperature sensor and/or askin conductance sensor and/or a radio frequency (RF) sensor.

In some implementations, the sensor unit comprises a movement detectorconfigured to provide movement data included in the sensor data, whereinthe physiological parameter is at least partially determined from themovement data. The movement detector may comprise an inertial sensor, inparticular an accelerometer and/or a gyroscope and/or a magnetometerand/or a compass and/or a barometer and/or a navigation sensor (e.g. aGPS sensor). A physiological parameter determined from the movement datamay comprise an amount and/or type of movements performed by the user.Determining whether the condition is fulfilled may comprise determiningwhether the amount and/or type of movements falls below or rises above amovement threshold. Different types of movement may include walkingand/or running and/or cycling and/or climbing and/or shaking.

In some implementations, the sensor unit comprises a sound detectorconfigured to provide sound data included in the sensor data, whereinthe physiological parameter is at least partially determined from thesound data. In some instances, the sound detector is configured todetect sound in an environment of the user. In some instances, the sounddetector is configured to detect sound from an own voice activity of theuser. The sound detector may comprise a microphone, in particular amicrophone array, and/or a voice activity detector (VAD) and/or aspeaker recognition detector and/or a speech type detector and/or a bodysound detector. The body sound detector may be sensitive for bodysounds, which may include at least one of gulping, eating, burping, anddigestion sounds. In some instances, the physiological parametercomprises a sound level, wherein the determining whether the conditionis fulfilled comprises determining whether the sound level falls belowor rises above a threshold. For instance, the sound level may be an ownspeech level and/or a body sound level, wherein the determining whetherthe condition is fulfilled comprises determining whether the own speechlevel and/or body sound level falls below or rises above a threshold, atleast within an statistical evaluation relative to the threshold.

In some instances, the hearing device comprises a sound classifierconfigured to classify the sound data in different sound classes byassigning the sound data to a class from a plurality of classes. Eachclass assigned to the sound data may correspond to a state of the soundclassifier. The classifier may determine a characteristic from the sounddata and classify the sound data depending on the determinedcharacteristic. The classes may comprise at least two classes associatedwith different audio processing parameters which can be applied by theprocessor of the hearing device for a processing of the sound databefore the processed sound data is output by an output transducer of thehearing device to stimulate the user's hearing. The classes mayrepresent a specific content in the sound data. Exemplary classesinclude, but are not limited to, low ambient noise, high ambient noise,traffic noise, music, machine noise, babble noise, public area noise,background noise, speech, nonspeech, speech in quiet, speech in babble,speech in noise, speech from the user, speech from a significant other,background speech, speech from multiple sources, and/or the like.

The physiological parameter may comprise a selected class of theplurality of classes to which the sound data can be assigned, whereinthe determining whether the condition is fulfilled comprises determiningwhether a current class assigned to the sound data corresponds to theselected class. The physiological parameter may comprise a selectedstate of the sound classifier corresponding to the selected class,wherein the determining whether the condition is fulfilled comprisesdetermining whether a current state of the sound classifier correspondsto the selected state. For instance, a selected class assigned to thesound data may be representative for a low sound level in the ambientenvironment and/or no speech from the user which may be indicative of ahigh relaxation level of the user. A selected state of the soundclassifier may be a state corresponding to the selected class.Determining whether the current class assigned to the sound datacorresponds to the selected class may include a statistical evaluationof the class assigned to the sound data relative to the selected class.

In some implementations, the physiological parameter indicative of arelaxation level of the user is determined based on the physiologicalparameter indicative of a heart rate and/or the physiological parameterindicative of a heart rate variability (HRV). For instance, a higherrelaxation level may be determined when the heart rate is determined tobe closer to the resting heart rate (RHR), and a lower relaxation levelmay be determined when the heart rate is determined to be further offthe RHR. As another example, a higher relaxation level may be determinedwhen the HRV is determined to have a larger value, and a lowerrelaxation level may be determined when the HRV is determined to have asmaller value. To this end, the heart rate and/or HRV may be evaluatedrelative to a threshold value. For example, the threshold value of theheart rate may be provided as a certain percentage of the RHR added tothe RHR, e.g. 10 percent of the RHR added to the RHR. As anotherexample, the threshold value may be provided as a predetermined limit ofthe HRV, e.g., to provide a specific example, a value of 40milliseconds. The relaxation level may then be determined as high whenthe heart rate is determined to be equal or smaller than the thresholdvalue and/or when the HRV is determined to be equal or larger than thethreshold value. The relaxation level may be determined as low, when theheart rate is determined to be larger than the threshold value and/orwhen the HRV is determined to be smaller than the threshold value.

In some implementations, the physiological parameter determined from themovement data and/or from the sound data is indicative of a relaxationlevel of the user. The physiological parameter determined from themovement data may comprise information about a physical activity of theuser, wherein a smaller value of the physical activity indicates ahigher relaxation level of the user. To illustrate, when no physicalactivity of the user has been determined for a certain time span, e.g.several minutes, an indication of a high relaxation level of the usermay be deduced. The physiological parameter determined from the sounddata may comprise a sound level, wherein a smaller value of the soundlevel indicates a higher relaxation level of the user. To illustrate,the lower the sound level the more probable is a high relaxation levelof the user. The physiological parameter determined from the sound datamay comprise a state of the sound classifier. The state can beindicative of a quality of a sound scene in the ambient environment. Forinstance, the state may comprise a quiet state at a rather silentenvironment and a speech state when speech is detected in theenvironment and/or from the user, and the like. The state of the soundclassifier can thus also be indicative for the relaxation level of theuser. For instance, the quiet state of the sound classifier may indicatea high relaxation level. The physiological parameter determined from themovement data may comprise a level and/or duration of movements carriedout by the user indicative of the relaxation level of the user and/or abody position of the user indicative of the relaxation level of the userand/or an indicator of the hearing device being worn by the user. Toillustrate, little and short movements carried out by the user and/or areclined body position of the user can indicate a high relaxation levelof the user, in particular when it is also determined that the hearingdevice is worn by the user.

In some implementations, the physiological parameter determined from thesound data is indicative of a distraction level of the user. Thephysiological parameter may comprise a sound level and/or a state of thesound classifier. To illustrate, the higher the sound level and/or astate of the sound classifier at a rather noisy environment can indicatea high distraction level of the user. In some implementations, thephysiological parameter determined from the movement data is indicativeof a physical exhaustion level of the user. The physiological parametermay comprise a level and/or duration of movements carried out by theuser and/or a body position of the user. To illustrate, many movementscarried out by the user and/or a walking activity of the user over alonger duration can indicate a high physical exhaustion level. Thephysiological parameter may indicate a trend and/or a rate of change ofthe physiological property underlying the physiological parameter.

In some implementations, the physiological parameter indicative of arelaxation level of the user is determined from the movement data and/orfrom the sound data, and the condition is determined to be fulfilledwhen the physical parameter indicates a high relaxation level. Theoutput data may then be associated with a resting heart rate of theuser. To illustrate, when the condition is determined to be fulfilled,it can be concluded that a momentary heart rate of the user can beassociated with the resting heart rate of the user. The biometric dataincluded in the output data can thus also be associated with the restingheart rate of the user. The output data may thus be employed, forinstance, to determine a blood pressure of the user at the resting heartrate.

In some implementations, the physiological parameter is determined froma combination of multiple biometric sensor data, e.g. PPG data and/orECG data and/or EEG data and/or EOG data and/or temperature data and/orskin conductance data, and/or a combination of biometric sensor data andmovement data and/or a combination of biometric sensor data and sounddata and/or a combination of biometric sensor data and movement data andsound data. In some implementations, the physiological parameterdetermined from the sensor data is indicative of a medical condition,for instance fever and/or sickness. In some implementations, thephysiological parameter determined from the sensor data is indicative ofuncontrolled movements of the user, such as shaking and/or jerking. Thephysiological parameter may be determined, for instance, from movementdata and/or biometric data.

The physiological parameter determined by the hearing device may be afirst physiological parameter. For instance, the first physiologicalparameter may be indicative of a heart rate of the user and/orindicative of a relaxation level of the user. Depending on whether thefirst physiological parameter fulfills the condition, the output datamay be transmitted from the hearing device to a remote devicedetermining a second physiological parameter from the output data, forinstance a blood pressure.

In some implementations, the biometric sensor comprises a light sourceconfigured to emit light through a skin of the user and an opticaldetector for detecting a reflected and/or scattered part of the light,wherein the biometric data comprises information about the detectedlight. In particular, the biometric data may comprise information aboutblood volume changes indicated in an photoplethysmography (PPG)measurement. In some implementations, the biometric sensor comprises anelectrode configured to detect an electric signal induced through a skinof the user, wherein the biometric data comprises information about theelectric signal. In particular, the biometric data may compriseinformation about a brain activity indicated in an electroencephalogram(EEG) measurement and/or information about a heart activity indicated inan electrocardiogram (ECG) measurement and/or information about an eyeactivity indicated in an electrooculography (EOG) measurement. In someimplementations, the biometric sensor comprises a temperature sensorconfigured to detect a body temperature of the user, wherein thebiometric data comprises information about the body temperature. In someimplementations, the biometric sensor comprises a radio frequency (RF)sensor configured to send energy at a radio frequency into tissue of theuser and to detect a reflection and/or absorption thereof, for instanceto determine an amount and/or density of certain molecules.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary hearing device 100 configured to be wornat an ear of a user. Hearing device 100 may be implemented by any typeof hearing device configured to enable or enhance hearing by a userwearing hearing device 100. For example, hearing device 100 may beimplemented as a hearing instrument such as a hearing aid configured todetect sound and to provide an amplified version of the detected soundto a user, a cochlear implant system configured to provide electricalstimulation representative of the detected sound to a user, a bimodalhearing system configured to provide both amplification and electricalstimulation representative of the detected sound to a user, or any othersuitable hearing prosthesis. In other examples, hearing device 100 maybe implemented as an audio playing device, such as an earphone orheadphone, configured to produce a sound to a user based on an audiosignal which may be communicated by a wire or wirelessly to the hearingdevice. Hearing device 100 may also be implemented as a hearinginstrument configured to operate as an audio playing device in anaccessory functionality. Hearing device 100 may also be implemented as ahearing protection device configured to attenuate ambient sound.

Different types of hearing device 100 can also be distinguished by theposition at which they are intended to be worn at the ear level of theuser. Some types of hearing devices comprise a behind-the-ear part (BTEpart) including a housing configured to be worn at a wearing positionbehind the ear of the user, which can accommodate functional componentsof the hearing device. Hearing devices with a BTE part can comprise, forinstance, receiver-in-the-canal (RIC) hearing aids and behind-the-ear(BTE) hearing aids. Other functional components of such a hearing devicemay be intended to be worn at a different position at the ear, inparticular at least partially inside an ear canal. For instance, a RIChearing aid may comprise a receiver intended to be worn at leastpartially inside the ear canal. The receiver may be implemented in aseparate housing, for instance an earpiece adapted for an insertionand/or a partial insertion into the ear canal. A BTE hearing aid mayfurther comprise a sound conduit, for instance a sound tube, intended tobe worn at least partially inside the ear canal. Other types of hearingdevices, for instance earbuds, earphones, and hearing instruments suchas in-the-ear (ITE) hearing aids, invisible-in-the-canal (IIC) hearingaids, and completely-in-the-canal (CIC) hearing aids, commonly comprisea housing intended to be worn at a position at the ear such that theyare at least partially inserted inside the ear canal. An additionalhousing for wearing at the different ear position may be omitted inthose devices.

In the illustrated example, hearing device 100 includes a processor 102communicatively coupled to a sensor unit 110, a memory 103, acommunication port 105, and an output transducer 107. Output transducer107 may be implemented by any suitable audio output device, for instancea loudspeaker or a receiver of a hearing aid or an output electrode of acochlear implant system. FIG. 1 further illustrates an exemplary remotedevice 120 configured to be operated remote from hearing device 100. Forinstance, the remote device may be a handheld device such as asmartphone or a stationary processing device such as a personal computer(PC). Remote device 120 includes a processor 122 communicatively coupledto a memory 123 and a communication port 125 configured to communicatewith communication port 105 of hearing device 100. A communicationsystem comprises hearing device 100 and remote device 120.

Sensor unit 110 comprises at least one biometric sensor 111 configuredto provide biometric data. Sensor unit 110 can comprise other sensors.In the illustrated example, sensor unit 110 further comprises a sounddetector 115 configured to provide sound data and a movement detector117 configured to provide movement data. Sensor data provided by sensorunit 110 thus comprises the biometric data and can further compriseother data, in particular the sound data and/or the movement data. Eachsensor 111, 115, 117 may be communicatively coupled to processor 102 viaat least one dedicated signal line. Each sensor may then separatelyprovide a respective part of the sensor data to processor 102 in anindividual sensor signal or a plurality of individual sensor signals. Insome instances, multiple sensors of sensor unit 110 may provide arespective part of the sensor data to processor 102 via a common signalline in a collective sensor signal.

Movement detector 117 may be implemented by any suitable sensorconfigured to provide movement data indicative of a movement of a user.In particular, movement detector 117 may comprise at least one inertialsensor. The inertial sensor can include, for instance, an accelerometerconfigured to provide the movement data representative of anacceleration and/or displacement and/or rotation, and/or a gyroscopeconfigured to provide the movement data representative of a rotation.Movement detector 117 may also comprise an optical detector such as acamera. The movement data may be provided by generating opticaldetection data over time and evaluating variations of the opticaldetection data. Movement detector 117 may also comprise a navigationsensor such as a GPS sensor. Movement detector 117 may also comprise anelectronic compass such as a magnetometer. Movement detector 117 can beconfigured to provide the movement data over time in subsequent periods.Movement detector 117 can be mechanically coupled to a housing ofhearing device 100 such that it remains in a fixed position relative tothe housing upon a translational and/or rotational displacement of thehousing. Thus, the movement data provided by movement detector 117 isindicative of a movement of hearing device 100 and a correspondingmovement of the user wearing hearing device 100 at an ear.

Sound detector 115 may be implemented by any suitable sound detectiondevice, such as a microphone, in particular a microphone array, and/or avoice activity detector (VAD), and is configured to detect a soundpresented to a user of hearing device 100. The sound can compriseambient sound such as audio content (e.g., music, speech, noise, etc.)generated by one or more sound sources in an ambient environment of theuser. The sound can also include audio content generated by a voice ofthe user during an own voice activity, such as a speech by the user. Theown voice activity may be detected by a voice activity detector (VAD).The VAD may be configured to detect sound from bone conducted vibrationstransmitted from the user's vocal chords to the user's ear canal and/orto estimate an own voice sound portion from sound detected by an ambientmicrophone and/or an ear canal microphone. In some implementations, themicrophone is configured to detect body sounds such as eating, gulping,burping or digestion sounds, which may be identified by processor 102.In some implementations, sound detector 115 includes movement detector117. In particular, the movement data provided by movement detector 117can be indicative of an own voice activity of the user. For instance, anaccelerometer may be employed as a movement detector to provide movementdata indicative of a jaw movement of the user and as a VAD to detect arhythmical vocal cord movement and thus an own voice activity of theuser, as described in European patent application No. EP19166291.5.Sound detector 115 is configured to output sound data indicative of thedetected sound. Sound detector 115 may be included in hearing device 100and/or communicatively coupled to processor 102 in any suitable manner.

Memory 103 may be implemented by any suitable type of storage medium andis configured to maintain, e.g. store, data controlled by processor 102,in particular data generated, accessed, modified and/or otherwise usedby processor 102. For example, processor 102 may control memory 103 tomaintain a data record based on data provided by sensor unit 110. Memory103 may also be configured to store instructions for operating hearingdevice 100 that can be executed by processor 102, in particular analgorithm and/or a software that can be accessed and executed byprocessor 102.

Communication port 105 may be implemented by any data transmitter ordata transducer configured to transmit data to remote device 120. Forthis purpose, a communication link can be established betweencommunication port 105 and communication port 125 of remote device 120.Communication port 105 may be configured for wireless data transmission.For instance, data may be communicated in accordance with a Bluetooth™protocol and/or by any other type of radio frequency communication suchas, for example, data communication via an internet connection and/or amobile phone connection. The transmitted data may comprise datamaintained in memory 123 of remote device 120, which may be controlledby processor 102 of hearing device 100 and/or by processor 122 of remotedevice 120. In particular, processor 102, 122 may be configured tocontrol maintaining of the data record in the memory of the remotedevice based on sensor data provided by sensor unit 110.

Processor 102 is configured to access the sensor data provided by sensorunit 110 including the biometric data provided by biometric sensor 111.Processor 102 is also configured to determine a physiological parameterfrom the sensor data, to determine whether the physiological parameterfulfills a condition, and to provide, when the physiological parameterfulfills the condition, output data based on the sensor data, the outputdata including at least part of the biometric data and/or informationderived from at least part of the biometric data. In someimplementations, processor 102 is configured to initiate a transmissionof the output data to remote device 120 via communication port 105. Insome implementations, processor 102 is configured to store the outputdata in memory 103. In some implementations, processor 102 is configuredto output the output data to the user via an output interface of hearingdevice 100. In some implementations, processor 102 is configured tocontrol another operation of hearing device 100 based on the outputdata. The physiological parameter may be a first physiological parameterdifferent from a second physiological parameter determined from theoutput data, for instance by processor 102 of hearing device 100 and/orby processor 122 of remote device 120. These and other operations thatmay be performed by processor 102, 122 are described in more detail inthe description that follows.

A biometric sensor, as used herein, may be any device configured tomeasure a biological characteristic intrinsic to a living organism, inparticular a human body. The biological characteristic may comprise anyinformation about a physical structure, chemical process, molecularinteraction, and/or physiological mechanism of the living organism. Thebiological characteristic may be measured by detecting any form ofenergy and/or matter intrinsic to the living organism and/or emittedfrom the living organism. For instance, the biological characteristicmay be a measured blood or molecular characteristic, in particular avarying light absorption and/or reflection, and/or an amount and/ordensity of a molecular content in biological tissue, and/or a measuredelectromagnetic signal generated by the living organism and/or ameasured temperature characteristic for thermal energy produced by theliving organism. In some examples, the biometric sensor comprises a PPGsensor and/or an ECG sensor and/or an EEG sensor and/or an EOG sensorand/or a temperature sensor and/or a skin conductance sensor and/or anRF sensor. The biometric sensor may be configured to provide an acutemeasurement of the biological characteristic, for instance by directlydetecting energy and/or matter from the living organism, and/or aprocessed collection of acute measurements of the biologicalcharacteristic, for example by recording the biological characteristicover time such as in a PPG waveform and/or a recorded EEG signal.Biometric data may be any data representative for the measuredbiological characteristic. The biometric sensor may provide a biometricsignal containing the biometric data. Biometric information included inthe biometric data may by any information about the biologicalcharacteristic.

A sensor or detector other than a biometric sensor may be any deviceconfigured to measure a characteristic which is not intrinsic to abiological function. Such a characteristic can comprise any activity ofa human within an ambient environment in a vicinity of the human's bodyand/or a characteristic of the ambient environment. The activity maycomprise any movement of the human body in the ambient environment suchas a walking activity and/or head rotation and/or jaw movement and/orany other physical activity. The movement can be measured by a movementdetector, e.g. an inertial sensor, configured to provide movement data.The activity may also comprise a sound, for instance a sound caused by aspeech of a human. The characteristic of the ambient environment maycomprise sound emitted by any sound source in the ambient environmentand/or any sound produced by an output transducer of the hearing device.The sound can be measured by a sound detector, e.g. a microphone and/ora voice activity detector (VAD), configured to provide sound data. Othercharacteristics of the ambient environment may comprise, for instance,ambient temperature, humidity, barometric pressure, radiation, airborneparticle density, and/or the like.

A physiological parameter, as used herein, may be any parameterindicative of a physiological property of the user. The physiologicalproperty can include, for instance, a heart rate, resting heart rate(RHR), heart rate variability (HRV), heart rate recovery time, heartrate variation and/or arrhythmia, blood pressure, elevated bloodpressure (hypertension), saturation pressure of blood oxygen (SpO2),maximum oxygen consumption (VO₂ max), blood glucose level,cardiovascular health, endurance level, aerobic fitness level, bodytemperature, sweat rate, respiratory rate, cognitive load, listeningintention, listening effort, cognitive decline, breakdown of neuralactivity over time, sleeping or waking state, distraction level,concentration level, relaxation level, physical exhaustion level,physiological stress, and/or the like. In some instances, thephysiological parameter is a parameter indicative of a quantitativelymeasurable physiological property such as, for instance, a rate and/or alevel. In some instances, the physiological parameter is a parameterindicative of a qualitatively identifiable physiological property suchas, for instance, a presence and/or absence of a physiological conditionwhich may include, for instance, the user being in a state of his RHRand/or in a sleeping state and/or experiencing a breakdown of neuralactivity, or not. For instance, the physiological parameter may beprovided as a binary value having a first value when such aphysiological condition is met, and having a second value when such aphysiological condition is not met. The condition may by any conditioncharacteristic of a state of the physiological property, in particular aphysiological condition. It may be that the physiological parameter isindicative of the physiological property such that the physiologicalproperty can be directly deduced from the physiological parameter, forinstance without a further data evaluation. The physiological parametermay indicate a trend and/or a rate of change of the physiologicalproperty underlying the physiological parameter.

In some instances, the physiological parameter can be determined by anassessment of the biometric data. For instance, a heart rate and/orblood pressure and/or VO₂ max and/or aerobic fitness level may bedetermined based on biometric data provided by a PPG sensor and/or anECG sensor. A cognitive load and/or listening effort and/orconcentration level and/or physiological stress may be determined basedon biometric data provided by an EEG sensor.

In some instances, the physiological parameter can be determined by anassessment of data provided by a sensor or detector other than abiometric sensor. For instance, the physiological parameter may bedetermined based on movement data of a movement detector which canindicate, for instance, a physical exhaustion level and/or relaxationlevel of the user. To illustrate, an evaluation of the movement datayielding that little or no movements have been performed by the user fora prolonged time can indicate a small physical exhaustion level of theuser and/or a high relaxation level of the user. As another example, thephysiological parameter may be determined based on sound data of a sounddetector which may also serve as a physiological indicator, e.g. for arelaxation level and/or a distraction level of the user. To illustrate,an evaluation of the sound data revealing silence to a certain degreefor a while in the ambient environment of the user can indicate a highrelaxation level and/or a small distraction level of the user.

FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary implementations of biometric sensor 111,and biometric data 151 provided by biometric sensor 111. Biometricsensor 111 comprises a PPG sensor 132 configured to provide PPG data 152and/or an ECG sensor 133 configured to provide ECG data 153 and/or anEEG sensor 134 configured to provide EEG data 154 and/or an EOG sensor135 configured to provide EOG data 155 and/or a temperature sensor 136configured to provide temperature data 156 and/or a skin conductancesensor providing skin conductance data and/or an RF sensor providingreflection or absorption data to specific frequencies. In the place ofbiometric sensor 111 illustrated in FIG. 1, any of sensors 132-136 canbe provided or any combination thereof. Biometric data 151 can compriseat least one of data 152-156 or any combination thereof. In someinstances, multiple sensors 132-136 are communicatively coupled toprocessor 102 via a separate signal line such that the respective data152-156 can be supplied to processor 102 in individual sensor signals.In some instances, multiple sensors 132-136 are communicatively coupledto processor 102 via a common signal line such that the respective data152-156 can be supplied to processor 102 in a collective sensor signal.

Biometric sensor 111 can comprise at least one optical sensor. Theoptical sensor can comprise at least one light source configured to emitlight and at least one optical detector for detecting a reflected and/orscattered part of the light. The light source, for instance a lightemitting diode (LED), can be directed to a skin of the user. Awavelength of the light source may be selected such that at least partof the emitted light penetrates a skin of the user and can be absorbedby blood flowing through the user underneath a surface of the skin. PPGsensor 132 may comprise at least one optical sensor.

Biometric sensor 111 can comprise at least one electrode. The electrodecan be configured to detect an electric signal induced through a skin ofthe user. In particular, the electrode can be configured to pick up alow voltage electric signal from the skin and/or to determine anelectric potential present between the skin and the environment and/orbetween different portions of the skin. The electrode may be configuredto be placed at a skin of the user such that the electrode is in contactwith the skin. ECG sensor 133 and/or EEG sensor 134 and/or EOG sensor135 may comprise at least one electrode, in some instances at least twoelectrodes having a distance which may be bridged by the user's skin.

Temperature sensor 136 may be sensitive to thermal radiation and/orconduction and/or convection and/or heat flow. For instance, temperaturesensor 136 may include a thermistor, thermopile, thermocouple, solidstate sensor, and/or the like. Temperature sensor 136 may comprise aplurality of thermosensitive components. Temperature sensor 136 may thusbe configured to measure temperature at multiple regions of the ear, forinstance at the inner ear and the outer ear, in order to provideinformation about the heat flowing between those regions.

A physiological parameter may be determined from any data 152-156included in biometric data 151. In some instances, the physiologicalparameter is determined from data 152-156 separately provided by any ofsensors 132-136. For instance, a heart rate and/or blood pressure may bedetermined from PPG data 152 or ECG data 153. A cognitive load may bedetermined from EEG data 153. A body temperature may be determined fromtemperature data 156. In some instances, the physiological parameter isdetermined from data 152-156 provided by a combination of sensors132-136. For instance, a heart rate and/or blood pressure may bedetermined from PPG data 152 and ECG data 153. A cognitive loadassociated with a certain body temperature may be determined from EEGdata 153 and temperature data 156. Combining information of dataprovided by multiple sensors 132-136 can be used, for instance, toincrease a reliability of the determined physiological parameter and/orto evaluate a mutual dependency of different physiological parameters.

FIG. 3 illustrates a functional block diagram of an exemplary sensordata processing algorithm that may be executed by processor 102. Asshown, the algorithm is configured to be applied to sensor data 150comprising biometric data 151 provided by biometric sensor 111. Thesensor data is input to processor 102. The algorithm comprises modules201-207.

A physiological parameter determination module 201 can determine aphysiological parameter indicative of a physiological property of theuser from sensor data 150. The physiological parameter can be determinedfrom biometric data 151 and/or from data provided by a sensor ordetector other than biometric sensor 111, for instance sound detector115 and/or movement detector 117. Physiological parameter determinationmodule 201 can be configured to monitor sensor data 150 over a period todetermine the physiological parameter over the period.

A condition evaluation module 203 can determine whether thephysiological parameter fulfills a condition, in particular whether thephysiological parameter determined over the period fulfills thecondition. In some implementations, the condition is representative fora state of the physiological property. Condition evaluation module 203can thus be employed to determine whether the user is in the state ofthe physiological property, or not.

A data output module 205 can provide output data based on the sensordata. The output data is provided depending on whether the physiologicalparameter has been determined to fulfill the condition by conditionevaluation module 203. The output data includes at least part ofbiometric data 151 and/or information derived from at least part ofbiometric data 151, as indicated by a solid arrow leading to data outputmodule 205 in FIG. 3. The output data can further include at least apart of sensor data 150 other than biometric data 151 and/or informationderived from at least a part of sensor data 150 other than biometricdata 151, as indicated by a dashed arrow leading to data output module205 in FIG. 3. In some implementations, the output data can be outputvia an output interface, for instance a display and/or an audio message,and/or stored in memory 103 and/or employed to control another operationof hearing device 100, for instance adjusting a sound level of soundoutput by output transducer 107 and/or adjusting a directivity ofacoustic beamforming performed by processor 102.

In some implementations, the output data can be transmitted to remotedevice 120 via communication port 105. A data transmission module 207can initiate the transmission of the output data. In some instances,data transmission module 207 is configured to transmit the output datato remote device 120 immediately after the physiological parameter hasbeen determined to fulfill the condition by condition evaluation module203. In some instances, data transmission module 207 is configured totransmit the output data to remote device 120 after the physiologicalparameter has been determined to fulfill the condition by conditionevaluation module 203 and after determining that a data connection hasbeen established with remote device 120. In some instances, datatransmission module 207 is configured to transmit the output data toremote device 120 at a predetermined schedule, for instance for apredetermined number of times per day and/or at a predetermined timeeach day. In some instances, the output data is stored in memory 103 andaccessed by data transmission module 207 before the data transmission,for instance in cases in which the output data is transmitted notimmediately after the physiological parameter has been determined tofulfill the condition by condition evaluation module 203.

FIG. 4 illustrates a functional block diagram of an exemplary sensordata processing algorithm that may be executed by processor 102. Asshown, the algorithm is configured to be applied to sensor data 150comprising biometric data 151 provided by biometric sensor 111, sounddata 157 provided by sound detector 115, and movement data 159 providedby movement detector 117. The sensor data is input to processor 102. Thealgorithm comprises modules 211, 217, 219 in addition to modules 201,203, 205 described above.

Sound data 157 is input to a sound classifier module 217. Soundclassifier 217 is configured to assign sound data 157 to a class from anumber of predefined classes. Each class may correspond to a differentcategory of the detected sound. Sound classifier 217 can be configuredto be set in a predefined state depending on the category assigned tosound data 157. A signal processing of sound data 157 performed byprocessor 102 can depend on the state of sound classifier. Differentstates of sound classifier 217 and/or different classes of sound data157 can depend on features extracted from sound data 157. The featuresmay include, for instance, amplitudes, amplitude onsets, frequencycontents, amplitude modulations, frequency modulations, spectralprofiles, rhythm, content based indexing and/or the like. Differentstates of sound classifier 217 can include, for instance, a quiet staterepresenting a quiet scene in the ambient environment, a clean speechstate representing a speech at a low signal to noise ratio (SNR), aspeech in noise state representing a speech at a high SNR, a noise staterepresenting a high SNR, a music state representing the user listeningto music content, and/or the like.

Movement data 159 is input to a movement classifier module 219. Movementclassifier 219 is configured to assign movement data 159 to a class froma number of predefined classes. Each class may correspond to a differentcategory of the detected movement of the user. The classes may allow todifferentiate between, for instance, an activity status of the userand/or a posture status of the user and/or a wearing status of hearingdevice 100. Different classes of the activity status may comprise, forinstance, a physical activity carried out by the user above an activitythreshold, and a physical activity carried out by the user below anactivity threshold, for example substantially no physical activitycarried out by the user at least in a statistical sense, for instance inaverage or to a certain percentile. Different classes of the posturestatus may comprise, for instance, the user determined in an uprightbody position, for instance in a standing and/or walking position, andthe user determined in a reclined body position, for instance in asitting and/or lying position. Different classes of the wearing statusmay comprise, for instance, the hearing device determined to be at aposition on the users body, for example to be worn at the user's ear,and the hearing device determined to be at a position off the usersbody, for example being placed inside a charging station.

The class of sound data 157 determined by sound classifier module 217and the class of movement data 159 determined by movement classifiermodule 219 is input to physiological parameter determination module 201to determine a physiological parameter from sensor data 150.Physiological parameter determination module 201 can be configured tomonitor the classes over a period to determine the physiologicalparameter over the period. In some implementations, the monitoredclasses comprise at least one class determined from sound data 157, andat least one class determined from movement data 159. To illustrate, themonitored classes may comprise the class of sound classifier 217 in thequiet state and the class of the activity status below the activitythreshold and/or the class of the posture status in the reclined bodyposition and/or the class of the wearing status at the wearing positionon the user's body. For instance, the period over which the classes aremonitored can correspond to at least 5 minutes. For instance, thephysiological parameter determined in such a way may be indicative of arelaxation level of the user. In particular, a situation may bedetermined in which the user is in a silent environment and is notengaged in a physical activity for a while allowing to conclude that theuser is in a relaxed state.

Biometric data 151 may also be input to a classifier module configuredto assign biometric data 151 to a class from a number of predefinedclasses, which is not shown in FIG. 4, before biometric informationincluded in biometric data 151 is input to physiological parameterdetermination module 201 to determine a physiological parameter fromsensor data 150. For instance, EEG data 153 may be input inphysiological parameter determination module 201 to determine aconcentration level of the user which may give further evidence for therelaxation level of the user. In some instances, only sound informationincluded in sound data 157 is input to physiological parameterdetermination module 201. In some instances, only movement informationincluded in movement data 159 is input to physiological parameterdetermination module 201. In some instances, only biometric informationincluded in biometric data 151 is input to physiological parameterdetermination module 201. In some instances, information included in atleast two of sound data 157, movement data 159, and biometric data 151is input to physiological parameter determination module 201. In someinstances, combined information included in sound data 157, movementdata 159, and biometric data 151 is input to physiological parameterdetermination module 201. Providing the information from combined data151, 157, 159 can increase the reliability of determining thephysiological parameter from sensor data 150.

Condition evaluation module 203 then determines whether thephysiological parameter fulfills a condition. To this effect, conditionevaluation module 203 can determine whether at least one of the classesdetermined from sound data 157 and/or from movement data 159 and/or frombiometric data 151 has been present within the period for a minimumnumber of times within the period. For instance, the period over whichthe classes are determined to be present can correspond to the period atwhich the classes are monitored by physiological parameter determinationmodule 201. When at least one class determined from sound data 157and/or at least one class determined from movement data 159 and/or atleast one class determined from biometric data 151 has been determinedto be present for a minimum number of times within the period, thecondition may be determined to be fulfilled by the physiologicalparameter.

For instance, a high relaxation level of the user may be thusdetermined. In some instances, the high relaxation level of the user isdetermined when at least two of the above mentioned classes determinedfrom sound data 157 and from movement data 159 and from biometric data151 have been determined to be present within the period for the minimumnumber of times. In some instances, the high relaxation level of theuser is determined when all classes have been determined to be presentwithin the period for the minimum number of times.

Physiological parameter determination module 201 is a firstphysiological parameter determination module. When the physiologicalparameter is determined to fulfill the condition by condition evaluationmodule 203, a second physiological parameter determination module 211 isemployed. Biometric data 151 is input to second physiological parameterdetermination module 211. Physiological parameter determination module211 is configured to determine a physiological parameter from biometricdata 151 which depends on another physiological parameter fulfilling thecondition, as determined by condition evaluation module 203. Toillustrate, when the user is determined to be at a high relaxation levelby condition evaluation module 203, physiological parameterdetermination module 211 can determine a physiological parameter frombiometric data 151 depending on the user having a high relaxation level.A physiological parameter determined by first physiological parameterdetermination module 201 may be denoted as a first physiologicalparameter, and a physiological parameter determined by secondphysiological parameter determination module 201 may be denoted as asecond physiological parameter.

In some implementations, a resting heart rare (RHR) is determined byphysiological parameter determination module 211 from biometric data151. To this end, a heart rate may be determined from biometric data 151which may be attributed to the user's RHR due to the condition of theuser having a high relaxation level determined by condition evaluationmodule 203. Biometric data 151 may comprise PPG data 152 and/or ECG data153 from which the heart rate can be determined. In someimplementations, a body temperature characteristic for the user at ahigh relaxation level may be determined from biometric data 151.Biometric data 151 may comprise temperature data 156 from which the bodytemperature can be determined. In some implementations, a neuralactivity characteristic for the user at a high relaxation level may bedetermined from biometric data 151. Biometric data 151 may comprise EEGdata 154 from which the neural activity can be determined.

The physiological parameter determined from biometric data 151 dependingon another physiological parameter fulfilling the condition may beemployed in subsequent determinations of a physiological parameter frombiometric data 151 as a condition to be fulfilled. In particular, theRHR and/or the body temperature and/or the neural activitycharacteristic for the user at a high relaxation level may be employedas a benchmark for the heart rate and/or body temperature and/or neuralactivity to be fulfilled as a condition. The condition to be fulfilledmay be determined by condition evaluation module 203 based on aphysiological parameter determined by physiological parameterdetermination module 201 from biometric data 151.

Data output module 205 then provides output data based on theinformation derived by second physiological parameter determinationmodule 211 from biometric data 151 depending on the physiologicalparameter determined by first physiological parameter determinationmodule 201 fulfilling the condition. The output data may include otherdata from sensor data 150 and/or other information derived from sensordata 150, as indicated by a dashed arrow in FIG. 4. In someimplementations, data transmission module 207 is employed to transmitthe output data to remote device 120.

FIG. 5 illustrates a block flow diagram for a method of operating ahearing device. The method may be executed by processor 102, inparticular by executing the data processing algorithm illustrated inFIG. 3 or 4. At 301, a physiological parameter indicative of aphysiological property of the user is determined from sensor data 150.At 302, it is determined whether the physiological parameter fulfills acondition. In a case in which the physiological parameter does notfulfill the condition, determining the physiological parameter fromsensor data 150 is repeated at 301. In a case in which the physiologicalparameter does fulfill the condition, output data is provided based onsensor data 150 at 306 by including biometric data 151 included insensor data 150 in the output data. In this way, a dependency of thebiometric data 151 included in the output data from the physiologicalparameter determined at 301 can be resolved. The included biometric data151 may be data provided by biometric sensor 111 substantiallyunprocessed by processor 102. Subsequently, at 307, the output data maybe transmitted to remote device 120.

In some instances, the physiological parameter is repeatedly determinedover a period at 301. Correspondingly, sensor data 150 may be repeatedlyprovided over the period. Determining whether the physiologicalparameter fulfills the condition at 302 may be repeatedly performed at apredetermined rate within the period, for instance each time at whichthe physiological parameter is determined at 301 and/or in a statisticalevaluation, for instance as a running average and/or a certain runningpercentile. The output data may be provided at 306 when thephysiological parameter fulfills the condition within the period at apredetermined number of times, for instance each time, at which thephysiological parameter is determined at 301.

Determining whether the condition is fulfilled at 302 may compriseevaluating the physiological parameter relative to a threshold. In someimplementations, the threshold is a predefined value of thephysiological parameter. To illustrate, the threshold may be apredetermined value of the heart rate and/or blood pressure and/or bodytemperature and/or cognitive load and/or relaxation level of the user.In some instances, the condition is determined to be fulfilled when thephysiological parameter falls below the threshold. In some instances,the condition is determined to be fulfilled when the physiologicalparameter rises above the threshold.

FIG. 6 illustrates a block flow diagram for a method of operating ahearing device. The method represents some implementations of the methodillustrated in FIG. 5. At 311, a heart rate of the user is determinedfrom biometric data 150 as the physiological parameter. At 312, it isdetermined whether the heart rate is below a threshold. When the heartrate is found to be above the threshold, the physiological parameter isdetermined to not fulfill the condition, and determining the heart ratefrom biometric data 150 is repeated at 311. When the heart rate is foundto be below the threshold, the physiological parameter is determined tofulfill the condition and at least part of biometric data 151 isincluded in the output data at 306. At 307, the output data istransmitted to remote device.

In some implementations, the threshold is selected such that the heartrate determined at 311 substantially corresponds to the RHR of the userwhen the heart rate is found to be below the threshold at 312.Determining whether the condition is fulfilled at 302 thus may beimplemented by determining whether the heart rate corresponds to the RHRat 312. Determining whether the heart rate corresponds to the RHR mayalso be implemented in different ways than comparing the heart ratedetermined at 311 to the threshold at 312. For instance, the heart ratedetermined at 311 may be evaluated with respect to a distinct value orvalue range corresponding to the RHR. Determining whether the heart ratecorresponds to the RHR may also be implemented by steps 351-355 of themethod illustrated in FIG. 10, as further described below. Determiningthe heart rate at 311 and determining whether the heart rate correspondsto the RHR at 312 may be repeatedly performed over a period. In thisway, it can be ensured that the user is in a physiological state of hisRHR for a minimum amount of time. For instance, the period may beselected to be at least 5 minutes.

FIG. 7 illustrates a block flow diagram for a method of operating aremote device to which output data is transmitted from a hearing deviceat 307 in the method illustrated in FIG. 5 or FIG. 6. The method may beexecuted by processor 122 of remote device 120. The physiologicalparameter determined at 301 and/or at 311 is a first physiologicalparameter indicative of a first physiological property. At 327, theoutput data comprising at least part of biometric data 151 is received.At 328, a second physiological parameter indicative of secondphysiological property is determined from biometric data 151 included inthe output data. In the illustrated example, the second physiologicalparameter is a blood pressure of the user indicative for a bloodpressure at the RHR of the user. For instance, biometric data 151 maycomprise PPG data 132 and/or ECG data 153 based on which the bloodpressure may be determined. In addition, movement data 159 may beincluded in output data at 306, which may be employed by remote deviceto determine the blood pressure. In this way, a larger processing powerand/or a longer battery life of remote device 120 can be advantageouslyexploited to determine the physiological parameter at 328.

In some instances, biometric data 132 included in the output data at 307is raw data as provided by biometric sensor 111 unprocessed by processor102 of hearing device 102. For instance, biometric data 132 included inthe output data at 307 may comprise PPG data 132 as provided by PPGsensor 132 and/or ECG data 153 as provided by ECG sensor 133, whereinprocessor 102 does not perform any further processing of the data.Remote device 120 can thus be enabled to determine the physiologicalparameter from biometric data 132 as originally provided by biometricsensor 111. In some instances, biometric data 132 included in the outputdata at 307 is pre-processed by processor 102 of hearing device 102, forinstance to remove noise and/or movement artifacts, wherein biometricdata 132 included in the output data at 307 contains the same amount ofbiometric information as the raw data provided by biometric sensor 111.

Moreover, providing the output data at 306 by the hearing device andtransmitting the output data at 307 to the remote device depending onthe condition to be fulfilled, for instance the heart rate determined tobe below the threshold at 312 and/or a relaxation level of the userbeing above a threshold, can ensure that that the output data is onlytransmitted when biometric data 151 is representative of a certainphysiological condition, for instance that the user is in aphysiological state of his RHR. In this way, the physiologicalparameter, for instance the blood pressure, determined by remote deviceat 328 can also be representative for the physiological condition beingmet. The data transmission from the hearing device to the remote devicecan thus be advantageously reduced to a number of times in whichdetermining the physiological parameter by the remote device at 328 isrelevant for the determining of the physiological parameter, forinstance at a condition in which determining the physiological parametercan be meaningful in a medical sense. To illustrate, a meaningfulmeasurement of the blood pressure can imply the user being in a state ofhis RHR. Therefore, only biometric data 151 relevant for determining theblood pressure may be transmitted from hearing device 100 to remotedevice 120, which is biometric data 151 for which the condition of theuser being in the state of his RHR is fulfilled. This can allow tofurther reduce the energy consumption of the hearing device required fordetermining the physiological parameter in a useful way.

FIG. 8 illustrates a block flow diagram for a method of operating ahearing device. The method may be executed by processor 102, inparticular by executing the data processing algorithm illustrated inFIG. 3 or 4. After determining at 302 whether the physiologicalparameter determined from sensor data 150 at 301 fulfills the condition,information is derived at 335 from biometric data 151 included in sensordata 150 when the physiological parameter fulfills the condition. At336, output data is provided by including the information derived at 335in the output data. In some instances, biometric data 151 and/or otherdata included in sensor data 150 may be included in the output data.Subsequently, at 307, the output data may be transmitted to remotedevice 120.

Deriving the information at 335 can comprise determining a physiologicalparameter from biometric data 151 included in sensor data 150. Thephysiological parameter determined at 335 can be different from thephysiological parameter determined at 301. For example, a firstphysiological parameter determined at 301 may be related to a neuralactivity of the user and a second physiological parameter determined at335 may be related to a body temperature of the user. As anotherexample, a first physiological parameter determined at 301 may berelated to a first blood parameter of the user and the secondphysiological parameter determined at 335 may be related to a secondblood parameter of the user. In this way, a dependency of thephysiological parameter determined at 335 from the physiologicalparameter determined at 301 can be resolved. The first physiologicalparameter determined at 301 may be indicative for the same physiologicalproperty as the first physiological parameter determined at 335. Thefirst physiological parameter determined at 301 may also be indicativefor a different physiological property than the first physiologicalparameter determined at 335.

FIG. 9 illustrates a block flow diagram for a method of operating ahearing device. The method may be executed by processor 102, inparticular by executing the data processing algorithm illustrated inFIG. 3 or 4. At 341, a first physiological parameter indicative of aphysiological property of the user is determined from sensor data 150.At 342, it is determined whether the first physiological parameterfulfills a first condition. In a case in which the first physiologicalparameter does not fulfill the first condition, determining the firstphysiological parameter from sensor data 150 is repeated at 341. Steps341 and 342 may be carried out corresponding to steps 301 and 302 of themethod illustrated in FIG. 5 and in FIG. 8. In a case in which the firstphysiological parameter does fulfill the first condition, a secondphysiological parameter indicative of a physiological property of theuser is determined at 343 from sensor data 150. At 344, it is determinedwhether the second physiological parameter fulfills a second condition.In a case in which the second physiological parameter does not fulfillthe second condition, determining the first physiological parameter fromsensor data 150 is repeated at 341. Steps 343 and 344 may also becarried out corresponding to steps 301 and 302 of the method illustratedin FIG. 5 and in FIG. 8. In a case in which the second physiologicalparameter does fulfill the second condition, output data is provided at346. Providing the output data at 346 may comprise step 306 of themethod illustrated in FIG. 5 and/or steps 335 and 336 of the methodillustrated in FIG. 8. In some instances, providing the output data at346 further comprises step 307 of transmitting the output data fromhearing device 100 to remote device 120.

The output data provided at 346 thus includes at least part of biometricdata 151 included in sensor data 150 and/or information derived from atleast part of biometric data 151 included in sensor data 150 differentfrom the first physiological parameter and the second physiologicalparameter. In this way, a dependency of biometric data 151 included inthe output data and/or of the information derived from biometric data151 included in sensor data 150 from the first physiological parameterdetermined at 341 and the second physiological parameter determined at343 can be resolved. For example, the first physiological parameterdetermined at 341 may be related to a physical exhaustion level of theuser and the second physiological parameter determined at 343 may berelated to a concentration level of the user. The output data providedat 346 can thus depend on the physical exhaustion level and theconcentration level of the user. Information derived from at least partof biometric data 151 included in the output data may comprise a thirdphysiological parameter different from the first physiological parameterand the second physiological parameter. The third physiologicalparameter may be indicative for the same physiological property as atleast one of the first physiological parameter and the secondphysiological parameter or for a different physiological property as thefirst physiological parameter and the second physiological parameter.

FIG. 10 illustrates a block flow diagram for a method of operating ahearing device. The method represents some implementations of the methodillustrated in FIG. 9. At 351, a sound level is determined from sounddata 157 included in sensor data 150. Determining the sound level may beperformed by sound classifier 217. The sound level can be a firstindicator of a relaxation level of the user corresponding to a firstphysiological parameter determined at 341. At 352, it is determinedwhether the first physiological parameter fulfills the first conditionthat the sound level is below a threshold indicating a high relaxationlevel of the user. When the sound level is found to be above thethreshold, the first physiological parameter is determined to notfulfill the condition, and determining the sound level from sound data157 is repeated at 351.

When the sound level is found to be below the threshold, a movementlevel is determined at 353 from movement data 159 included in sensordata 150. Determining the movement level may be performed by movementclassifier 219. The movement level can be a second indicator of arelaxation level of the user corresponding to a second physiologicalparameter determined at 343. The sound level determined as the firstphysiological parameter from sound data 157 and the movement leveldetermined as the second physiological parameter from movement data 159are thus indicative for the same physiological property of therelaxation level of the user. At 354, it is determined whether thesecond physiological parameter fulfills the second condition that themovement level is below a threshold providing further evidence of a highrelaxation level of the user. When the movement level is found to beabove the threshold, the second physiological parameter is determined tonot fulfill the condition, and determining the sound level from sounddata 157 is repeated at 351.

When the movement level is found to be below the threshold, a heart rateis determined at 355 from biometric data 151 included in sensor data150, for instance from PPG data 152 and/or ECG data 153. Since the heartrate determined at 355 depends on the user being in a physiologicalstate of a high relaxation level, as determined at 352 and 354, theheart rate determined at 355 is the heart of the user at the highrelaxation level. The determined heart rate can thus be attributed tothe RHR of the user. Subsequently, output data is provided at 356.Providing the output data at 356 may comprise step 306 of the methodillustrated in FIG. 5 and/or steps 335 and 336 of the method illustratedin FIG. 8. In some instances, providing the output data at 356 furthercomprises step 307 of transmitting the output data from hearing device100 to remote device 120. After receiving the output data, remote device120 may determine a physiological parameter from the output datadifferent from the physiological parameters determined by the hearingdevice. In particular, the method illustrated in FIG. 7 may be performedby remote device 120.

In some implementations, steps 351-355 may be performed in the methodillustrated in FIG. 6 in the place of steps 311, 312. When the heartrate is attributed to the RHR of the user at 355, the condition of theheart rate corresponding to the RHR is equally determined to befulfilled. Subsequently, at least part of biometric data 151 is includedin the output data at 306, and the output data is transmitted to remotedevice 120 at 307. Remote device 120 may then perform the methodillustrated in FIG. 7 to determine a third physiological parameter frombiometric data 151 included in the output data, for instance a bloodpressure of the user. The thus determined physiological parameterdetermined by remote device 120 is equally representative of a conditionin which the user is in a state of his RHR. For instance, the bloodpressure may thus be determined under a condition in which thedetermined parameter value is meaningful in a medical sense requiringthe user being in a state of his RHR.

While the principles of the disclosure have been described above inconnection with specific devices and methods, it is to be clearlyunderstood that this description is made only by way of example and notas limitation on the scope of the invention. The above describedpreferred embodiments are intended to illustrate the principles of theinvention, but not to limit the scope of the invention. Various otherembodiments and modifications to those preferred embodiments may be madeby those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of thepresent invention that is solely defined by the claims. In the claims,the word “comprising” does not exclude other elements or steps, and theindefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. A singleprocessor or controller or other unit may fulfil the functions ofseveral items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measuresare recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicatethat a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage. Anyreference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting thescope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A hearing device configured to be worn at an earof a user, the hearing device comprising: a sensor unit configured toprovide sensor data, the sensor unit comprising a biometric sensorconfigured to provide biometric data included in the sensor data; and aprocessor configured to determine a physiological parameter from thesensor data, the physiological parameter indicative of a physiologicalproperty of the user; wherein: the processor is further configured todetermine whether the physiological parameter fulfills a condition apredetermined plurality number of times during a period of time; andprovide, to a remote device that is external to the hearing device anddepending on whether the physiological parameter fulfills the conditionthe predetermined plurality number of times during the period of time,output data based on the sensor data, the output data including at leastpart of at least one of the biometric data or information derived fromat least part of the biometric data different from the physiologicalparameter; the output data is configured to be processed by the remotedevice to determine an additional physiological parameter indicative ofan additional physiological property of the user; and the determining ofthe additional physiological parameter requires relatively more of atleast one of processing power or memory than the determining of thephysiological parameter.
 2. The hearing device of claim 1, whereinbiometric information in the biometric data included in the output datais unmodified by the processor.
 3. The hearing device of claim 1,wherein: the physiological parameter is indicative of a heart rate ofthe user; and the determining whether the condition is fulfilledcomprises determining whether the heart rate corresponds to a restingheart rate of the user.
 4. The hearing device of claim 1, wherein: thephysiological parameter is indicative of a relaxation level of the user;and the determining whether the condition is fulfilled comprisesdetermining whether the physiological parameter is above a threshold. 5.The hearing device of claim 1, wherein the physiological parameter is atleast partially determined from the biometric data.
 6. The hearingdevice of claim 1, wherein: the sensor unit comprises a movementdetector configured to provide movement data included in the sensordata; and the physiological parameter is at least partially determinedfrom the movement data.
 7. The hearing device of claim 1, wherein: thesensor unit comprises a sound detector configured to provide sound dataincluded in the sensor data; and the physiological parameter is at leastpartially determined from the sound data.
 8. The hearing device of claim1, wherein: the biometric sensor comprises a light source configured toemit light through a skin of the user and an optical detector fordetecting at least one of a reflected part or a scattered part of thelight; and the biometric data comprises information about the detectedlight.
 9. The hearing device of claim 1, wherein: the biometric sensorcomprises an electrode configured to detect an electric signal inducedthrough a skin of the user; and the biometric data comprises informationabout the electric signal.
 10. The hearing device of claim 1, wherein:the biometric sensor comprises a temperature sensor configured to detecta body temperature of the user; and the biometric data comprisesinformation about the body temperature.
 11. The hearing device of claim1, wherein: the hearing device further comprises a communication portconfigured to transmit data to the remote device; and the processor isconfigured to provide the output data to the communication port.
 12. Acommunication system comprising: a hearing device configured to be wornat an ear of a user, the hearing device comprising: a sensor unitconfigured to provide sensor data, the sensor unit comprising abiometric sensor configured to provide biometric data included in thesensor data; a processor configured to determine a physiologicalparameter from the sensor data, the physiological parameter indicativeof a physiological property of the user; wherein the processor isfurther configured to determine whether the physiological parameterfulfills a condition a predetermined plurality number of times during aperiod of time; and provide, depending on whether the physiologicalparameter fulfills the condition the predetermined plurality number oftimes during the period of time, output data based on the sensor data,the output data including at least part of at least one of the biometricdata or information derived from at least part of the biometric datadifferent from the physiological parameter; and a remote device that isexternal to the hearing device, the remote device comprising acommunication port configured to receive the output data from thehearing device, wherein: the remote device includes an additionalprocessor configured to process the output data to determine anadditional physiological parameter indicative of an additionalphysiological property of the user; and the determining of theadditional physiological parameter requires relatively more of at leastone of processing power or memory than the determining of thephysiological parameter.
 13. A method of operating a hearing deviceconfigured to be worn at an ear of a user, the method comprising:providing sensor data including biometric data detected from the user;and determining a physiological parameter from the sensor data, thephysiological parameter indicative of a physiological property of theuser; the determining the physiological parameter including: determiningwhether the physiological parameter fulfills a condition a predeterminedplurality number of times during a period of time; and providing, to aremote device that is external to the hearing device and depending onwhether the physiological parameter fulfills the condition thepredetermined plurality number of times during the period of time,output data based on the sensor data, the output data including at leastpart of at least one of the biometric data or information derived fromat least part of the biometric data different from the physiologicalparameter, wherein: the output data is configured to be processed by theremote device to determine an additional physiological parameterindicative of an additional physiological property of the user; and thedetermining of the additional physiological parameter requiresrelatively more of at least one of processing power or memory than thedetermining of the physiological parameter.
 14. The method of claim 13,wherein biometric information in the biometric data included in theoutput data is unmodified.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein: thephysiological parameter is indicative of a heart rate of the user; andthe determining whether the condition is fulfilled comprises determiningwhether the heart rate corresponds to a resting heart rate of the user.16. The method of claim 13, wherein: the physiological parameter isindicative of a relaxation level of the user; and the determiningwhether the condition is fulfilled comprises determining whether thephysiological parameter is above a threshold.
 17. The method of claim13, wherein the physiological parameter is at least partially determinedfrom the biometric data.
 18. The method of claim 13, wherein thephysiological parameter is at least partially determined from movementdata provided by a movement detector of the hearing device.
 19. Themethod of claim 13, wherein the physiological parameter is at leastpartially determined from sound data provided by a sound detector of thehearing device.